Weapon
by Korrin Belle-Deamon
Summary: AU2x1 Duo, a self proclamed treasure hunter extraordinaire, gets wind of a magic sword locked deep within a tomb. He goes looking for the sword, but finds more then he expected.
1. Default Chapter

Duo scratched the back of his neck as he peered carefully around the stone corner. His long hair had been braided and stuffed down the back of his tunic to prevent it from snagging on anything. He could see nothing in the pitch black of the cave, but neither could he detect the sound of ragid breathing or heavy foot steps, which might indicate a monster left to guard the tomb. The only sound to be heard was the distant trickle of water, leaking in through the cavern's ceiling.

He reached in to his tunic and pulled out a simple pendant, with a white crystal attached to it.. He tapped it, and immediately it began to give off a soft glow. He held it out as he tread slowly down the corridor. His steps were light, careful of the slightest shift in stone to indicate a trap. He'd been lucky so far. All of the traps had been easy to spot, or he'd avoided on pure luck.

Many a careless treasure hunter has slipped up, and thought he was home free once he'd gotten the treasure. In the past, Duo had found more than a few corpses who had been on their way out.

The light emitted from his pendent was very weak, and only barely illuminated the stones around him, but Duo liked it that way. Traps weren't the only defence against looters, and Duo didn't want to alert anything to his presence.

He stopped. A gigantic, ornate door had just come in to view. He studied the door and its surroundings for a moment. It appeared to be a normal door. The general warning was when the floor was littered with skeletons, but the area was clear. It didn't even look like there was a trick to opening it.

Slowly, he placed his hand on the door, and when nothing happened, he pushed. The door didn't budge, but no traps were set off either. He quickly checked the side and hinges of the door, and decided it was safe, so he let the pendent rest against his chest. He placed both his hands against the door, and after finding decent footing on the damp stones, he pushed with all his might. He grunted with effort, which sounded particularly loud in the silence of the chamber. After a moment the stone door began to slide a few inches, and Duo, empowered by his slight success, continued to push until he'd made enough of a space to slip through.

He wiped a trail of sweat off of his face with the back of his arm and waited for his breathing to return to normal. Duo wasn't weak, but he generally relied on his light frame and agility to get him out of trouble.

He listened, even though he was sure that the act of opening the door even slightly would have riled anything inside the chamber, and heard nothing. He slipped inside the chamber, lifting his pendent again to get a better view.

In the dim light he could barely make out a pedestal. In his excitement he almost forgot to check for traps. He looked around, not seeing any of the usual signs, and then treading lightly, but quickly, made his way toward the pedestal.

There was nothing on it.

'Damn it, that old man better not have sold me false info.' Duo cursed inwardly.

There hadn't been any forks in the path to get lost in, just a lot of traps to prevent thieves. The pedestal looked like the perfect place to put treasure. Had someone gotten it before him? The old man had sworn his info was good. Duo had even checked the village library for local history and lore. The pedestal still remained bare, except for the thin slit down the middle, the obvious place to find an enchanted sword.

Trying hard not to lose hope, Duo leaned down and began pressing on the pedestal's sides, trying to find something. Anything. Perhaps the sword had just fallen off the pedestal...

Duo bent around the right side of the pedestal, moving his hands across the damp stones for signs of a sword. He then bent around the left side to repeat the futile process, but came face to face with a pair of ice blue eyes, which were shining in the light of his pendent.

"SHIT!" Duo jumped backwards so fast, that he almost tripped over his own feet, but he quickly regained his balance. 'What the hell are you doing in here?!' He shouted, once he realized he was staring at another person.

"The same thing as you, I'd imagine." The person replied coolly without really giving any explanation.

"But...?" Duo paused, at a loss for words, having never run across another living person during any of his his forays in to trapped dungeons.

"The door closed."

Duo turned quickly, almost as if he thought the gigantic stone door would have actually been able to close without him hearing it. "You mean, it trapped you in?" He asked the boy, who was now hidden in darkness with Duo's pendent no longer so close to his face. Duo had the feeling that the boy had nodded, even though he couldn't see him, because there was a slight pause before the answer came. "Yes."

Like lighting, Duo was up and out the door in a flash, afraid that it would seal him in at any second. "Well? Come on, what are you waiting for? I bet you're glad I came along when I did," He shouted in to the chamber at the other boy.

The boy shuffled slowly out of the chamber and Duo grinned at him as they fell in to step beside each other.

"How long were you stuck in there?" asked Duo as they began to make their way out of the dungeon.

"Long enough..." Said the boy, once again evading the question.

"You didn't by any chance happen to get the sword that was in their did you?" Duo asked, unable to keep the slight sound of hope out of his voice.

"No." The boy replied simply.

"You're not much of a talker are you." Said Duo as he carefully stepped around a trapped stone, "I'm Duo by the way."

The boy grunted in response before asking, "...What would you have done with sword if it had been there?"

"I would have sold it of course." Duo said at once, "Enchanted stuff sells for a high price, as I'm sure you know. Besides, I'm not much of a fighter. I couldn't wield a long sword to save my life."

The boy was frowning, but Duo couldn't really tell if he was displeased with the answer he'd given, or if the boy's face was stuck that way.

"Look out." The boy said in a calm and slow voice, but Duo stopped mid-step none the less.

Duo looked down, and realized he'd almost sprung a trap. Stepping around it, he grinned sheepishly at the quiet boy, "Whoops... Must have missed that one when I came through."

They walked on for a while, before Duo stopped suddenly and stretched his hand out to the other boy, "Look, my name's Duo Maxwell. Thanks for saving my hide back there."

He waited a moment for a return handshake, but when none came he assumed it was because the other boy could not see his outstretched hand; however, when the boy's only response was to grunt and sidestep him, Duo knew that it would not have mattered if the boy could see him or not.

Duo pouted, the pitying effect he'd hoped for, was once again lost to the darkness. "Meany..." He mumbled, the noise seemingly swallowed by the surrounding void as well.

They walked on together for a while, the tunnel began to gradually fill with light as they approached the exit. When they stepped out in to the sunlight, Duo tapped his pendent once again and tucked it on to his shirt, before stretching his arms in to the air and inhaling deeply.

"Ah, finally some fresh air." Duo said conversationally as he turned to finally get a good look at the boy.

The boy had messy brown hair, and almost every inch of him was covered in dirt. His clothes look ragged, old, and out of style. As Duo had guessed, it looked as if his face was frozen in a frown. His eyes, which were the only part of him Duo had really seen, were actually a much darker blue than Duo had thought. Those eyes were now staring at Duo intensely; unnerving him.

Duo scratched the back of his head nervously, and took a few steps back from the other boy. "Uh... It was nice meeting you, but I've got stuff to do, caves to loot, treasures to find. You know how it is, I'm sure." The words were barely out of Duo's mouth before he turned, not waiting for the response he knew he wouldn't get, and began to walk in the opposite direction from the cave.

'That guy was kind of creepy.' Duo thought, 'Definitely something wrong with him... Maybe he was stuck down their longer than I thought.'

He began to relax as he got further away from the cave. He took a deep breath as he listened to the sounds of the forest around him. The wind, the bird... footsteps?

Duo stopped, but the footsteps continued for a few seconds more . Duo turned sharply, his face red with annoyance, and shouted, "Why are you following me?!"

The look that appeared on the boy's face was the most reaction Duo had seen out of him so far. The boy's eyes were wider than he had seen them, and a faint blush appeared on his face as his mouth opened and closed a few times in shock. He looked down at the grass, avoiding Duo's gaze, but finding his words, he spoke firmly, "I've been trapped down their for a while. Obviously I'd need fresh supplies, and so would you. We're both just heading for the nearest town."

Duo scrutinised him, not sure whether to believe him or not.

'Was I heading towards town?'Duo thought. He had been more focused on getting out of the unnerving presence of the other boy, and he wasn't actually sure which direction he was going in.

"Right... well, I'm gonna take a break," Duo said as he eyed the other boy warily and gestured for him to go on ahead.

Duo walked over to a pine tree and sat down against it, leaning back against the trunk. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the forest. Air sure smelled good after you'd been stuck in a musty tomb for a while.

He didn't hear any retreating footsteps. Opening one eye, Duo peaked at the other boy out from under his bangs.

"Now what?" Duo asked, the irritation clear in his voice.

"I... I don't know where town is." The boy was looking away from Duo, with an almost angry look upon his face, as if it hurt him to admit he had no idea where he was.

"You really were stuck down there a long time, huh?" The irritation left Duo's voice as he began to dig around his pack for a compas. He pulled it out and paused for a moment to let the needle settle. "Town is... that way," he said as he pointed somewhere to the north east. He put the compas away and leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes once again. He did not hear any retreating footsteps at first, but he refused to open his eyes, and eventually he heard them start and then fade in to the distance.

Duo heaved another sigh of relief. The akward presence surrounding that boy was almost more than the overwhelming darkness of the cave they'd been in. He looked around quickly just to make sure the boy really had left, and then decided that a nap would be a good way to let the boy reach the town before him, just so they didn't cross paths again. He closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep to the sound of chirping birds and wind in the trees.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Notes: Thanks for the reviews Mel, Ajedrez, ozzypoos, and SnakeMistress, and to anyone else who might review the first chapter before this one shows up on the site. I really appreciate the reviews, but I'll let you know that I'm writing unusually fast lately. It might not last.

If you notice anything wrong with the story please tell me.

**Weapon: Chapter 2**

There was a chill in the air as Duo began to stir from his nap. As his senses came back to him he felt that something was wrong. A voice suddenly rang in through the fog of his sleep and jolted him awake.

"Hey, hey, boys, look what we got here." Duo was instantly awake, as he saw the three boys approaching him. They looked no older than him, but he'd be hard pressed to fight three people at once. He remained still, his body rigid as he watched them.  
One of them was a fair bit taller than the other two. He seemed to be in charge. Their demeanor seemed wholly unfriendly. 

The sun was beginning to set, drawing out long shadows, and casting the whole forest in red and yellow.

"What's a guy like you doing out in the woods all by himself?" The larger boy asked, "These woods aren't safe you know. A guy could get hurt." 

The two other boys laughed, as if there was some joke Duo was missing out on. Duo rolled his eyes. As if he didn't know where this was going.

He moved his arm slowly, hoping to God they didn't notice as he reached for the dagger tucked in the back of his belt. They made no indication that they had seen what he was doing, but each pulled out their own weapons, as Duo had expected.  
The leader's stance changed suddenly. His posture became less relaxed. Duo knew to expect a fight soon.

"Alright. Seriously, hand over any valuables if you wanna live," The leader pointed his knife at Duo as he spoke.

Duo sighed, and stood slowly, pretending to go along with their demands. As he got to his feet though, he lunged quickly at the main boy, attempting to slice his neck, but the boy was faster than Duo had expected, only received a small cut along the lower half of his face as he barely dodged Duo's dagger, but Duo didn't let him rest there. He immediately followed through, attempted to stab at the boy's chest. Once again attempting to dodge, the boy stepped back, but stumbled and fell.

The two other boys made sounds of outrage and leapt at Duo. He was able to deflect one of their attacks, but the other knife made contact with his upper arm. He managed to stifle a cry as pain flared through his arm. He stumbled back, trying to get out of range and he clutched his bleeding wound.  
Three on one was definitely no fair.

Duo knew this is where it got tough. The leader had already gotten back on his feet, and was wiping the blood from his face as he sneered at Duo. He knew he'd be lucky if they only beat the stuffing out of him.

Doing his best to ignore the pain in his arm, he held his dagger firmly and got ready to fight. The group of boys were doing the same as they spread out slightly, surrounding him.

"Duo! Catch!" A voice rang out through the tense silence, and they all  
looked up to see where it had come from. "Aack!" Duo let out a somewhat girlish shriek, as he just barely avoided the flying sword that had imbedded itself in the tree behind him. His heart pounding, he once again looked up to see who had thrown it. It had sounded like that boy from earlier, but there was no one to  
be seen. The boys surrounding him were also looking around to see where the projectile weapon had come from.  
Duo looked back to the sword. Hadn't he told that boy that he had no skill with swords? Either way, a long sword would give him a range advantage over their knives, as long as it wasn't so heavy that when he swung it, the momentum left him wide open from the sides.  
Throwing caution to the wind, he gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, and pulled. A tingling sensation began at his fingers and ran up his arms as he held the sword. Suddenly, with a burst of strength he didn't know he had, he pulled the sword from the trunk of the tree. The strange feeling surrounded him, and suddenly Duo knew exactly what to do.  
He charged and swung at the boy closest to him, who stumbled back in fear, not bothering to try to block a sword with his tiny knife. The boy had stumbled just out of the swords range, but he was caught severely off guard, and Duo followed his swing through by lunging and elbowing  
the boy sharply in the ribs. The boy grunted in pain, and crumpled to the ground. Whimpering, the boy curled up and tried to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him. 

As Duo stood over the boy, the strange sensation surrounding his body continued to grow and he was filled with a strange rage. He raised the sword, ready to strike, but froze.

"What the hell am I doing?" Duo thought as he shook his head to clear the fog from his mind. He couldn't believe what he'd been about to do. He stepped back, lowering the sword slightly. He looked over at the two other boys, who stood with their knives at the ready, but shaking with fear.  
Duo looked down at the boy by his feet, and kicked him once before shouting, "Get the fuck out of here!"  
He turned back to the two other boys, who were slowly backing away. Duo raised the sword menacingly, and the both turned and ran. The boy by his feet stumbled a few times before getting to his feet, and running after the other two.  
After a few moments Duo began to relax. The strange feeling that had come over his body was quickly leaving him, and it was leaving him very tired. He winced suddenly, the pain in his arm flaring up. He'd forgotten about it. He examined it quickly, and found that it was bleeding quite a bit. 

He looked down at the sword in his hand, and then looked up, scanning the clearing. Someone had thrown the sword to him, and that someone had known his name, but why would they just run off?  
"Anyone out there?" Duo shouted. There was no reply.

Feeling more and more exhausted by the second, Duo dropped the sword to the dew covered grass, and slowly slumped to his knees. "I'll just rest for a second. Yeah... Only a second," he mumbled as his eyelids drooped. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should wrap his wound before passing out, but he was far beyond caring, and fell to the ground in a slump.

* * *

When Duo came around, he could hear the sound of crickets chirping, and the crackle of a nearby fire.  
He struggled to open his eyes, thankful that it was now dark out. His muscles felt if they hadn't been used in a year as he attempted to sit up.  
A firm hand suddenly pushed him back to the ground, and Duo found himself staring in to the deep blue eyes of the boy from the cave. Duo watched the firelight dance in his eyes, and neither of them spoke for a few moments. The moment was broken as the boy closed his eyes and looked away.

Duo watched as the boy headed over to the fire, and put some more  
wood on it. With his back to Duo, he spoke suddenly, "I wrapped your arm."  
Duo tilted his head down, and found that the cut on his arm had been wrapped neatly in white linen. A splotch of blood was showing through.

"It wasn't too deep, but you should make sure to clean it and change the bandages every couple of days," the boy spoke again, his back still facing Duo.

Duo finally found his strength returning to him, and forced himself to sit up. Questions were suddenly flooding through his mind, and he cleared his dry throat to speak, "Was that you who threw me the sword?" He could see the boy nod in the light of the campfire, and pressed on. 

"That was the enchanted sword, wasn't it?"

The boy paused, remaining still, before answering. "... Yes. It was."

"You lied to me," Duo said incredulously, "You told me you hadn't found it! You just wanted the money for yourself, didn't you?" Duo asked angrily.

The boy turned to face him, and Duo was surprised to see an almost pleading look in his eyes.  
"I didn't really lie... It's complicated."

"I don't see what's so complicated about it. You either found the sword or you didn't," Duo sighed in aggravation. This boy was really confusing. Hardly ever speaking to him, lying to him, not even thanking him for getting him out of the cave, and now... saving his life.

"...Why did you come back?" Duo asked suddenly.

The boy's expression suddenly turned sour. "Look, I saved your life, so why does it matter?"

"Geez, I was just asking," Duo said defensively.  
He moved closer to the fire, and just sat there for a few moments, doing his best to ignore the other boy as he moved around.  
Looking around quickly he asked, "What did you do with the sword?"

"I put it away."

Duo looked around. The boy didn't even have a bag with him. "What do you mean 'away'?" he asked.

"Go to sleep and stop asking question." The boy said flatly as he stoked the fire.

"Right, whatever," Duo mumbled as he lay down and rolled over, facing away from the boy and the fire. A few minutes passed, and Duo could still hear the boy shuffling around.  
"Don't you sleep?" he asked.

"Someone needs to keep watch."

"Right..." Duo waited uncomfortably for a few moments before continuing, "Thanks... You know, for saving my life twice."

No answer came, but Duo was beginning to get tired again, and he didn't really have the energy to get annoyed. He had almost drifted off when the boy spoke.

"It's Heero."

"Huh, wha?" Duo mumbled, jolted awake.

"My name. It's Heero." Duo rolled over and grinned at him from where he lay.

"Nice to meet ya, Heero," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Go to sleep."

"Pfft, fine," Duo rolled over, once again facing away from Heero, but nothing could destroy his sudden good mood.


End file.
